Press Release
Alliance Applauds House Ways and Means Committee’s Approach to FAA Reauthorization
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Washington, DC – The Alliance for Aviation Across America today made the following statement following the House Ways and Means Committee passage of its bill for FAA reauthorization:
“We are pleased that the House Ways and Means Committee has endorsed a progressive, common-sense proposal that rejects any risky ‘user fees,’ and preserves the current, pay-at-the-pump fuel tax. The fuel tax is simple, efficient, and does not require a huge bureaucracy to collect or impose unnecessary administrative burdens on businesses and aircraft operators.
“Moreover, this proposal just once again proves what the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation have all attested – that modernization of our air traffic control system can be achieved without any radical overhaul of the current funding structure.
“As a community that has been at the forefront of efforts and new technologies for modernization, we hope that other aviation sectors will step up to the plate and support increased funding for modernization for the future of our nation’s air traffic control system.”
The Alliance for Aviation Across America (AAAA) recently reached over 3,600 members, including aviation professionals, local airports, rural and agriculture groups, city, county and state officials, and small and mid-size businesses dedicated to protecting small and rural communities by fighting against any overhaul of the current, fuel tax system in favor of new taxes and fees. Members of the Alliance for Aviation Across America include: the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, whose membership is comprised of 412,000 members nationwide, the National Business Aviation Association, whose membership includes 8,000 members, the National Farmers Union, the League of Rural Voters, the National Association of State Aviation Officials, the National Grange, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, the American Corn Growers Association, the Independent Cattlemen of Texas, the Texas Farm Bureau, Air Care Alliance, the National Agricultural Aviation Association, Helicopter Association International, and over 1,200 small and medium-size businesses, charitable organizations, and groups and associations from across the nation.
# # #